Chain-conveyor



Oct-.10,1967 M. vALENT|N-HJoRTH 3,345,954

CHAIN-CONVEYOH Filed Feb. l, 1965 nited States atent 3,345,954 CHAIN-CONVEYOR Morton Valentin-Hjorth, Copenhagen, Denmark, assignor to Hjort-Conveyor A/ S, Copenhagen, Denmark Filed Feb. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 429,450 Claims priority, application l6)enmark, Mar. 9, 1964,

l 4 13 Claims. (Cl. 104-172) The invention relates to a chain-conveyor with two tubular profile rails, one being placed vabove the other and each having a slit extending in the longitudinal direction.

In the known chain-conveyors of the type indicated there is a slit at the bottom of the upper profile rail and a slit at the top and bottom of the lower prole rail. In the upper prole rail there is placedan endless driving chain, whereas carrying trolleys or a carrying chain may be placed in the lower. prole rail. Dragging members extend d-own through the two slits. The lower prole rai-l has furthermore a slit at the bottom for suspension members hanging from the carrying trolleys or the carrying chain serving to carry the load. Furthermore, the upper prole rail also has a slit at the top. In the known chain-conveyors, complicated supporting members must be used for the profile rails. The two sides of the latter must be effectively held in position in relation to each other as the two sides of the profile rails are separate.

The object of the invention is to device a chain-conveyor'of the type indicated in which the said drawbacks are remedied in such a manner that it is made possible to obtain a series of improvements that will be described in the following specification. The characterizing features of the chain-conveyor according to the invention are that the lower prole rail is positioned with its slit facing downwards, whereas the upper one is positioned with its slit facing upwards, and that the two profile rails are connected with each other to form a strong section. The lower prole rail is closed'at the top, while the upper profile rail is closed at the bottom. The two profile rails may easily 1be welded together to form a-iirm unit, and this unit need only be suspended at one side so that a simple mounting of the rails is obtained. It is easy and inexpensive to bend the almost closed tubes so as to form Ycurved portions with precise profiles.

In the upper profile rail, forming a closed circuit, according to the invention, there may be placed a circulat,- ing driving chain. The lower profile rail, which may have interruptions for sidetracks, serves as a `track for the carrying trolleys, The driving chain may have dragging members for dragging the trolleys. Because there is no profile rail. This is itself entails a complication. On` the ,other hand, far better possibilities are obtained for the Vconnection of side-tracks, so that the trolleys can be pushed into such sidetracks, e.g., onto storage lines, As

explained in thel fol-lowing, it will :be easy to provide for automatic controlling of the trolley transport. The dragging members may thus, according to `the invention, be disconnectably positioned in relation to the trolleys. The

jdraggingmembers may, according to the invention, consist of downwards projecting arms that are pivotable on `an axis in the chains longitudinal direction. By these means a simple and practical construction is obtained,

ywhere the arms are easily swung outwards so that they ,disengage the trolleys. By placing the axis suitably, on

account of their weight, the dragging arms will tend to move inwards to engagement with the trolleys. The drag- 3,345,954 Patented Oct. 10, 1967 ICC ging members may, according to the invention, have sensing means for sensing controlling members which are placed beside or near the profile rails and which can cause disconnection ofthe dragging members from the trolleys. By these means it is possible to stop the transport of the trolleys in a very simple manner, and by moving the controlling members the transport may be stopped at any definite point. It is also possible to place the sensing means in and adjustable manner on the dragging members so that one can choose which controlling member or which controlling members is to inuence them. Furthermore, two or more sensing means may be placed on each dragging member.

The driving chain has horizontal axles with rollers mounted thereon that can bear upon either the top or the lbottom of the profile rail. Each dragging member according to the invention may be supported by two successive rollers. lThe successive rollers may be connected with each other by means of chain links that do not permit lbending on a horizontal axis. With the dragging action a torque will be exerted on the dragging members, and this tor-que will be absorbed by the chain in the manner that one of the rollers will be pressed upwards and the other roller will be pressed downwards. Hereby a considerable dragging force may be obtained without overloading the chain. The dragging member, according to the invention, may be hinged upon a supporting construction, that is supported upon the two rollers, and that is constructed so as to stiften the intermediate portion of the chain. It is not necessary to construct the intermediate portion of the chain with a strength great enough to be able to stand the entire torque produced by the dragging member, but the chain may be constructed with a strength that otherwise would be suitable for the chain in connection with its pulling function. Since the chain has chain links with vertical axes between the two rollers, the said supporting construction for the dragging member must have corresponding links with vertical axes coincident with vertical axes of the chain for passage through horizontal bends in the profile rail track. According to the information the trolleys may be constructed entirely or partly as chain portions, at each end having an arm that is pivotable on a vertical axis and at 4the end of this arm having a buffer member constructed with a width equal to the interior width of t-he prole rail,

preferably a roller with vertical axis.V Hereby it is obtained that two adjacent buffer members will be correctly guided in relation -to each other inside the profile rail, which especially is important in sharp bends leading out to a sidetrack. Two trolleys may be connected with each other by means of a rod beneath the profile rail, and hereby a greater load carrying capacity may be obtained. One of the principal advantages of this system 'is that sections of the lower prole rail may be mounted independently of the upper rail. Trolleys may be captured in those sections and the sections may be moved laterally or vertically away from the upper track for processing goods hanging from the trolleys or for switching the trol- 'leys to other tracks.

Preferred embodiments of the chain-conveyor according to the invention is shown in the drawings, where FIG. 1 shows a vertical longitudinal section through a 'portion of the chain-conveyor,

FIG. 2 is a cross-section in same,

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section through a side-track with two trolleys,

FIG. 4 is a view similar to the view in FIG. 2 of a second embodiment.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates an upper proiile rail that is formed like a tube with rectangular cross section and with a slit 2 at the top. This profile rail 1 is, by means of an intermediary member 3 and welding, connected to a lower prole rail 4 that is shaped like a tube with the same cross-section as the tube 1, but with a slit 5 placed at the Ibottom. The tubes 1 and 4 thus form a firm unit, and the latter is suspended by means of supporting members (not shown) fastened to the right side of tubular rails 1 and 4 as shown in FIG. 2.

In the upper profile rail 1, forming a closed circuit with horizontal and Iperhaps vertical bends, there is placed a circulating driving chain, driven by means of a driving mechanism (not show) at a certain point of the circuit. The chain has rollers 6, with horizontal axes and with a diameter that is slightly less than the height of the tube 1, and horizontal rollers 7 with vertical axes and with a diameter that is slightly less than the width of the tube 1. The rollers I6 are double rollers on a horizontal axle, on which there is placed an angle piece with a horizontal arm 8 and a vertical arm 9, and on which there furthermore is placed a universal joint 10. The horizontal axle provides a chain joint axis. The rollers 7 are placed between two link plates 12 and 13 by means of a vertical axle 11. The two horizontal arms 8 are directed towards each other, and are connected with the ends of the link plates 12 and 13 by means of Vertical link pins 14 and 15. The two universal joints 10 are directed away from each other and are connected with the link plates 12 and 13 by means of vertical link pins 16 and 17. The link pin 14, 15, 16 and 17 thus form chain joints with vertical axes.

Each of the arms 9 is fastened at the top to a universal joint 18 and 19, each of which having a vertical link pin 20 and 21 -for a hinge axle 22. The link pins 20 and 21 are placed exactly above the link pins 14 and 15. On the hinge axle 22 there is swingably placed a hub 23 for a dragging arm 24, that extends a distance sidewards and thereafter downwards. On the lower edge of dragging arm 24 lthere is welded dragging plate 25. In apertures in the plate 24 there are -placed axles for sensing rollers 26 and 27 that can cooperate with not shown guide members shaped like cams or rails placed on the side in question of the profile rails 1 and 4 so that the dragging arm thereby may be swung away from the profile rails.

In the lower profile rail 4 there are placed trolleys for carrying loads. Each of these trolleys comprises a trolley link 28 that at each end has supporting rollers 29 and at each end has a universal joint 30 for connection to an arm 31 or 32, respectively, that is formed with a fork 33 or 34, respectively, at the end. On the arms 31 and 32 there are placed supporting rollers 35 with horizontal axes, and in the forks 33 and 34 there are lplaced laterally acting rollers 36 with vertical axes. The rollers 35 have a diameter nearly equal to the interior height of the profile rail 4, and the rollers 36 have a diameter nearly equal to the interior width of the profile rail 4. The trolley portions form a chain portion, advantageously having a pitch corresponding to -pitches of the chain in the upper profile rail. On the trolley link 28 there is fastened downwards projecting bolts 37, on which there is fastened a carrying member 38 with a downwards hanging load carrying hook 39. The carrying member 38 is surrounded by a shield 40 that is constructed for engagement with the cutaway .portion in the engagement member 25. On the trolley link 28 there are furthermore placed laterally acting rollers 41 that are constructed for engagement with the lateral edges of the slit 5. Rollers 41 `thereby maintain the trolley link in a central position in the proiile rail 4. As shown in FIG. 3 the two trolley chain pieces may be brought to lie in continuation of each other with two buffer rollers 36 engaging each other: By driving one of the chain pieces the other one will thus be displaced in the prole rail that may be a sidetrack, leading from the conveyor itself into a storage track. Such chain pieces, however, may also be caused to push each other in the profile rail 4, but here it will normally be most advantageous that each chain piece be driven by its own dragging member 25. Interruptions for sidetracks may be of a type per se known.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 the lower rail corresponds precisely to the lower rail in the iirst embodiment, but the upper rail consists of a tube 50l with circular cross-section with a ange 51 placed opposite the slit 52. The rail 50 is considerably smaller than the lower rail. The driving chain in this embodiment is similar to the driving chain in the rst embodiment, but is adapted in size and shape to the circular cross-section of t'he rail, e.g., the periphery of the rollers 56, corresponding to the rollers 6, is oblique as indicated at 57. The trolleys 58 correspond precisely to `the trolleys placed in the lower rail of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3. The pitch of t-he trolleys 58 is equal to the pitch of the driving chain in the upper rail 50.

The shown and described embodiments should only be considered by way of example as many variations are conceivable within the scope of the invention. Pieces of the lower rail thus may be movably placed for special purposes.

What I claim is:

1. Conveyor apparatus comprising:

upper and lower interconnected profile rails, said upper rail having an upward opening longitudinal slit, and said lower rail having a downward opening longitudinal slit;

a circulating driving chain mounted within said upper rail;

a plurality of load carrying trolleys mounted in said lower rail; and

a plurality I of dragging members mounted on said chain, extended through the slit in the upper rail, and adapted for connection to said trolleys.

2. Chain-conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the dragging members are disconnectably positioned in relation to the trolleys.

3. Chain-conveyor according to claim 2, wherein the dragging members consist of downwards projecting arms that are pivotable on an axis in the chains longitudinal direction.

4. Apparatus of claim 1 further comprising controlling members connected to said profile rails, and sensing means mounted on said dragging members for engagement with said controlling members, whereby said dragging members are urged out of engagement with said trolleys when said sensing means contact said controlling members.

5. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said chain has a plurality of roller means rotatable on horizontal axes, wherein each dragging member is connected to two successive roller means, and wherein a portion of the chain intermediate the two successive roller means is rigid in a vertical direction.

6. Apparatus of claim 5 further comprising a supporting construction connected to two successive rollers, and wherein the dragging member is hinged to the supporting construction.

7. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said trolleys comprise independent chain pieces, arms connected at each end of said pieces, and buffer members connected to remote ends of said arms, said buffer members having a width nearly equal to an interior wider of said lower profile rail.

8. Conveyor chain having interconnected sections, each of said sections comprising an axle;

roller means mounted on said axle;

an angle piece having a rst arm and having a second arm at an angle to said iirst arm, said piece being mounted on said axle near yan intersection of said iirst and second arms, and said second arm defining a rst connecting means remote from said first arm;

a universal joint mounted on said axle, said joint having a second connecting means;

at least one link member connected to one of said connecting means; and

wheel means rotatably mounted on said link.

9. Conveyor chain apparatus of claim 8 wherein said universal joint comprises spaced perpendicular hinge means.

10. Conveyor trolley apparatus comprising:

a trolley link,

supporting rollers mounted at opposite ends of said link,

universal joints mounted at opposite ends of said link,

arms connected to said universal joints,

rst wheels mounted on remote ends of said arms,

divergent forks connected to remote ends of said arms,

and

second wheels mounted on the remote ends o f said forks, said second wheels being perpendicular to said first wheels.

11. Chain-conveyor comprising an upper tube 'shaped rail with a longitudinal slit in its upper portion, a lower tube shaped rail with a longitudinal slit in its bottom portion, means for connecting the two tube shaped rails so as to form a lirm unit Where the upper tube is placed substantially vertically above the lower tube, interspaced means for lsupporting the said unit the means being placed on one side of the profile of the unit, an endless chain in the upper rail, dragging members extending through the slit in the upper rail and in driving connection with the chain therein and extending down along the other side of the units prole, a number of independent trolleys in the lower rail, each having a carrying member projecting down through the bottom slit, and means for driving connection between the dragging members and trolleys.

12. Chain-conveyor according to claim 11 where the chain in the upper rail comprises rollers with horizontal ares and with their diameter slightly less than the height of the upper tube and consisting of double rollers placed on a horizontal axle on which there is placed an angle piece with a horizontal arm and a vertical arm and a universal joint, horizontal link plates connected to the universal joint, rollers with vertical axes and with a diameter slightly lessl than the width of the tube, the latter rollers being rotatably mounted between the link plates, vertical link pins to connect the horizontal arms of the angle pieces with the end of the link plates, and vertical link pins to connect the universal joints with the link plates.

13. Apparatus of claim 11 wherein each of said trolleys comprises a trolley link, supporting rollers rotatably mounted at ends of said link, universal joints connected to ends of said link, forked arms connected to said joints, vertical rollers with horizontal axes rotatably mounted on said arms, laterally acting rollers with vertical axes rotatably mounted on said arms, downward projecting connecting means mounted on said link, carrying means mounted on said connecting means, and depending rollers rotatably mounted on said link, said depending rollers projected between lateral edges of the slit in the lower prole rail.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,902,873 3/1933 Marone 198-177 X 2,702,114 2/1955 Jensen 198-177 3,028,455 4/ 1962 Devonshire.

3,081,172 3/1963 Schreyer et al. 104-172 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,164,995 5/ 1958 France.

1,295,570 5/1962' France.

EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner. R. HAICKEY, Assistant E Janninery 

1. CONVEYOR APPARATUS COMPRISING: UPPER AND LOWER INTERCONNECTED PROFILE RAILS, SAID UPPER RAIL HAVING AN UPWARD OPENING LONGITUDINAL SLIT, AND SAID LOWER RAIL HAVING A DOWNWARDOPENING LONGITUDINAL SLIT; A CIRCULATING DRIVING CHAIN MOUNTED WITHIN SAID UPPER RAIL; A PLURALITY OF LOAD CARRYING TROLLEYS MOUNTED IN SAID LOWER RAIL; AND A PLURALITY OF DRAGGING MEMBERS MOUNTED ON SAID CHAIN, EXTENDED THROUGH THE SLIT IN THE UPPER RAIL, AND ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION TO SAID TROLLEYS. 